Terry-Mitchell blog

Terry Mitchell

How Should Obama Respond to Fox?

President Obama is making a huge mistake by attacking the talking heads at Fox News Channel. In doing so, he is inadvertently giving that network much more legitimacy than it deserves. Instead, he should be using one of three other strategies that I often use on people who are antagonistic toward me.

First, he could ignore them. This would be a good strategy if his goal is to get back at them for the stuff they say about him. People who crave attention would much rather be verbally attacked than ignored. TV networks thrive on attention which, in turn, drives their ratings. And ratings bring advertiser dollars, which mean profits for the TV networks. Ignoring Fox would be a way for Obama to hurt their bottom line – or at least keep from enhancing it.

Second, he could act if he be believes they agree with him. Very often, when I receive a scathing email or a particularly nasty response to something I have written, I will respond by saying, "I'm glad you agree." Usually, I will never hear from that person again. Now, if the president did that kind of thing to Fox News, would it stop them from being critical of him? Of course not, but it would let them know he's able to handle their criticism with a sense of humor and that he's not letting it get to him. 

Does Limbaugh Deserve His Success?

Nationally syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts recently published an op-ed piece in which he mocked Rush Limbaugh's failed attempt to become a part owner of the St. Louis Rams. His opposition to Limbaugh's entry into the NFL appears to be due to more than just the racist remarks Limbaugh has made over the years. It also seems that he begrudges Limbaugh the success he has achieved in radio broadcasting because it has come in an unconventional way. To me, that smacks of elitism.

Pitts' sarcasm makes it clear that he's not too thrilled with the fact that Limbaugh bucked convention and "somehow managed to climb to the top of the media pile" despite the fact that he dropped out of college. Why, people are supposed to put in their time and take a more scholarly route to becoming "one of the most popular and influential voices in the national dialogue" – or so Pitts seems to believe.

From Pitts' viewpoint, Limbaugh's success is undeserved and illegitimate because he is an interloper who entered the party via the back door. Pitts considers him to be the proverbial skunk at the picnic. In addition, Pitts accuses Limbaugh of "avarice" because of the millions of dollars he has been able to earn from his popularity. Since when does money automatically invoke avarice? Or perhaps it's one's method of earning money that automatically produces avarice.  Somehow I doubt that Pitts would have made the same assumption, had Limbaugh earned his fortune as a great scientist, doctor, or community leader.

Now let me make it abundantly clear that, although I'm a conservative-leaning libertarian, I'm no fan of Limbaugh or any of the other wing nuts of the conservative movement. I'm just not into wild-eyed conspiracy theories and absurd accusations, no matter which side of the political spectrum they originate from. Mr. Limbaugh's broadcasts are nothing more than cacophony in my world. However, I do respect what Mr. Limbaugh has achieved, and it bothers me that people like Mr. Pitts resent him for it.

In America, success is not reserved just for the erudite, the attractive, the proper, and the conformist. I'm glad it's that way. Otherwise, I would have been left behind from the day I was conceived. And it doesn't matter to me how one achieves success, as long as it's done legally and ethically. In the immortal words of Al Davis, the owner of that other pro football team that used to reside in Los Angeles, "Just win, baby."

Welfare by Any Other Name

Last week I was taken to task by a reader for classifying WIC (government aid to Women, Infants, and Children) as welfare. He said this was an incorrect categorization of WIC. His rationale centered around the ubiquity of the program, i.e., he claimed that almost any single mother could qualify for it.

I'm not sure whether he is right in making such an estimate. However, it wouldn't matter if everyone in America qualified for it. That's not the point. The point is that WIC is an unearned government handout, which qualifies it as welfare. It's not like Social Security or Medicare, programs that people pay into when they are younger and draw benefits from when they are older.

WIC, on the other hand, frequently provides benefits to those who pay little or no taxes, while those who pay the most taxes will likely never see a dime from it. It's just another government redistribution-of-wealth scheme, aka welfare. You can call it whatever you would like. Welfare by any other name is still welfare.

Overreaction to "Balloon Boy" Hoax

Local officials, including the sheriff, in Fort Collins, CO are now discussing the possibility of bringing multiple felony charges against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi. This is in response to the apparent hoax a couple of weeks ago in which they claimed that their youngest son, Falcon, had boarded a hot-air balloon that had later taken flight and drifted away for miles.

When balloon landed, however, no one was found in it. Subsequently, it was discovered that the boy had been hiding in an attic all along. After several ensuing police and TV interviews with the family, it became clear that it was all a hoax – part of an elaborate scheme by Mr. and Mrs. Heene to get their own TV reality show. In fact, it was recently reported that Mrs. Heene has now admitted as much in an affidavit. 

But should the Heene's face felony charges and possibly years in prison, if convicted? Should they lose custody of their three sons (which would be one obvious consequence of such criminal convictions)? Should a family be broken up because the parents did something really stupid? I say such an outcome would be unjust.

I believe it is an overreaction to even consider felony charges against these people. Sure, if they indeed pulled off the hoax they are accused of, it was wrong, and they should have to face the consequences for it. But, in my opinion, their actions would constitute only misdemeanors, although very serious ones. They should be required to fully compensate local, state, and federal officials for the time and money that was wasted in pursuit of an empty balloon.

Roadmap to the Poorhouse

1) Be a compulsive shopper.

2) Do what feels good.

3) Drink too much.

4) Become a pack-a-day smoker.

5) Shower your kids with material gifts (or at least buy them everything they ask for).

6) Try to keep up with the Joneses.

7) Live well above your means.

8) Believe everything you hear in TV infomercials.

9) Don't buy health insurance until you absolutely need it.

10) Chase "hot" stock tips.

11) Never put a penny in savings.

12) Max out your credit cards and pay only the minimum payment each month.

13) Take exotic vacations on a regular basis.

14) Never pay off the loan on any car. Instead, make sure you trade it on a new one while you still owe on it.

15) Borrow from payday lenders.

16) Experiment with every kind of illegal drug.

17) Produce out-of-wedlock offspring.

18) Drop out of school.

19) Show up at your job whenever you want, and do as little as you can possibly get by with when you get there.

My Own Version of Natural Healing

You hear a lot today about the subject of natural healing. About every other infomercial nowadays pushes a product that promises it in some way, shape, or form. I'd like to offer my own version of natural healing. It has to do with how one should deal with minor cuts and cold sores.

I don't believe one should keep a bandage on a minor cut any longer than is required to stop the bleeding. With only a few rare exceptions, I will remove a bandage once the bleeding stops. That's because I've always suspected that a cut heals faster when the air can get to it. Recently, my doctor confirmed this suspicion. Therefore, he makes the same recommendation. 

Cold sores should also be allowed to heal without any interference. There are many products on the market today that claim to stop cold sores or at least speed up their healing. I've tried most of them and none of those have ever worked for me. In fact, they just prolong the agony. When I simply leave them alone and let them run their course, they go away much faster.

• Previous Posts:

• How Should Obama Respond to Fox?
• Does Limbaugh Deserve His Success?
• Welfare by Any Other Name
• Overreaction to "Balloon Boy" Hoax
• Roadmap to the Poorhouse
• My Own Version of Natural Healing
• Things That Infringe on Free Speech
• Let's Get Real about Jaycee Dugard

• Related Posts:

• Obama Administration Attempting to Eliminate Freedom of the Press
• Will Obama Have Veto Courage?
• What Is Your Pledge?
• Czars Abound
• President Kennedys Assassination
• I Bid You Farewell, Philippine President Corazon Aquino
• Hillary Is In Charge!
• Barack Obama and Press Freedom: Where Is The Promised Change?

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